Is there a way to buy absinthe in the United States?

Question

Why is it so hard to find? As anyone tried it and what did they think?

Answer 1

If you live in the US you can order a good absinthe bottle online, it's not illegal to order and drink it, it's only the direct sale in liquor stores that's forbidden.

But, what's a good bottle of absinthe?

The net and people's minds (especially americans) are filled with misconceptions, myths and ridiculous stories about absinthe.

First and foremost, absinthe is not, never was and it's not suppose to be anywhere near hallucinogenic, it's a lie, a myth, perpetuated today by unscrupulous "absinth" vendors, especially those who sell czech "absinth".
There were made extensive and scientific tests on surviving XIX century absinthe bottles and no hallucinogenic substance was found. But, you may ask, what's the story on thujone? Yes, absinthe, more exactly the plant wormwood, has the moelcule thujone in it, but, although it's similar to thc it's not the same. But thujone is indeed hallucinogenic, yes, but maybe for an elephant: you had to ingest so many pounds of wormwood that you would die first from it's toxicity or your stomach would blow up, literally. Anyway, the thujone almost disappears completely with the distillation process so it's meaningless.
And this leads me to the following disclosure,

What (really) is absinthe?

Absinthe is quality grape spirit distilled together with up to 9 different herbs, acoording to the various recipes, mainly french and swiss. It's main herb it's not wormwood but green anis, followed by wormwood, fennel, hyssop, star anis, angelica of the alps, melissa and sometimes coriander seeds. All these herbs must be distilled in a very slow process, of up to 18 straight hours, so that all these subtle flavours can be kept in the final product, a very, very hard task impossible to mimic by an amateur. And this leads me to the next statement,

What isn't absinthe?

Absinthe is not cheap grain alcohol with wormwood leaves soaked in it, it tastes horrible and it's probably the origin of the myth that absinthe doesn't taste good and needs sugar.
Absinthe is not cheap vodka with artificial colourings and flavourings=czech "absinth", a waste of money and a gigantic rip off, there are bottles of this swill being sold to the US for more than 100 dolars...

But, you may also ask, why was absinthe banned in so many countries?
Well, it was banned because in the 1910's the wine producers of France were facing many difficulties because, incredibly, absinthe had taken over the preferences among the french, they no longer drank as much wine as they used to, absinthe was now the national drink. This lead to a major lobbying process, in which the french wine producers joined forces with conservative catholic anti.alcohol associations and finally managed to get absinthe banned under many false pretexts and absurd stories about mental illness. It was banned almost everywhere, except on the UK, Spain and Portugal. In these two last countries it was not only legal but also produced and to this very day.
Today the US are the only country in the world where it is forbidden, quite sadly.

What absinthes to order/try?

Mainly french and especially swiss, you can't go wrong with a swiss absinthe, like Kubler or La Clandestine. You can also go to the french, like the Jades, Verte de Fougerolles, Un Émile.
And please, please, always drink it dilluted in water, at least two parts of water to one small part of absinthe, pour the absinthe and then very, very slowsly pour ice cold water, you notice the translucid absinthe becomes cloudy, opaque, a sign of it's quality, it's the plants essential oils freeing themselves form the alcohol.
As for the sugar, NEVER burn it, it's a stupid commercial gimmick invented by the czechs in the 1990's, it RUINS the absinthe flavours. They did dilluted a sugar cube with ice water in the XIX century, but not because absinthe was bitter, on the contrary, due to it's content in anis most were quite sweet. Sugar was added as a sign of status, a luxury extra, up untill the early XX century sugar was not as common as today and it was expensive.

So please, enjoy absinthe for what it is, just THE most complex tasting alcoholic drink in the world, it's subtle aromas are superior to the very best red wines and that, it's flavour it's the main characteristic of absinthe and the reason why it's so good (if it's real).

Cheers

Answer 2

There is a way, but it must be imported. While the sale is illegal in the United States, there are many companies you can find online who will ship to the United States, but it could take up to 3 weeks to recieve. I cannot tell you the websites, but they are out there. As for the stuff killing you, any alcohol can kill you if you drink to much of it. Absinthe is pretty close to 100% pure alcohol, so one or 2 shots of it will do you in. It also contains worm wood, which gives the consumer the effects of THC, which can be found in marijuana. It is not THC. It does however cause halucinations. However, if you follow instructions on the bottle you will be fine because it tells you to dilute it with water to make it bearable. Believe me, it is stronger than any other liquor i have ever had, and it does burn when taken straight. Usually it is mixed with water, lime or lemon juice, and a tiny amount of surgar. Imported bottles are very hard to get because the packaging must be pushed through US Customs, for the most part it goes through ok, but when you spend $200 on a bottle plus $50 shipping and handling, you want to make sure you do infact recieve it. Most companies will not compensate you for packages lost in the mail or never recieved, merely because the sale to the US is illegal. Your best bet is to try to obtain it in a South American Country or if you are lucky get it shipped into Canada and bring it back with you. We recieved ours from a friend who lives in Germany, and we had a bunch of goodnights with it. Just becuase you took one shot of it doesn't mean you will die. If you drank 50 Beers in a night you'd be near death if not dead already, just with any alcohol, you can only consume a certain amount of it. It is very strong, but i'd recomend everclear over absinthe, while absinthe does have a hallucinogen in it, and everclear doesn't, everclear is i believe 95% alcohol, and it does the job as well as mixes well in things such as jungle juice and is a lot better for parties then absinthe, because mixing it doesn't make it less potent, and it doesn't mix very well. Everclear mixes well, and is only illegal for sale in some states, PA being one of them, but New York and Virginia are open for sale, it is also not illegal to pocess.

Answer 3

It's illegal. In the 19th century it was available in Europe and the US. But, it was believed it was addictive, so the sale of it was abolished. Some European countries are selling it again , but not the US.

It has a sort of anise flavor. I once tried a drink that was orginally made with absinthe, but another anise flavored liquor was used.

Answer 4

I just had a mini bottle given to me by someone that was over in England.....I don't think you can buy it here in the U.S. All I know is that stuff is totally strong, with a hint of black licorice at the end....it is hard core. I have only taken a few sips. I don't think I could handle even a shot of it! It would definitely have to be mixed with something.

Answer 5

i live in grand rapids...and there is a liquor store that has a bottle....the guy is foreign and he always has everything on hand...and if he doesnt he will get it for you....my advice is do what my roommates and i did.....go to the same liquor store on a very regular basis...we prolly go 2 times a week....the guy knows us by name and we hold convos with him everytime we go in...he would get anything for us...and he knows and trusts us....he has the absinthe though....so we wouldnt have to special request it....but just ask a store if they have it...go to a hole in the wall type of place though not meijer or ne thing....try that or be freinds with people who can probably get their hands on it....never had it but i might try it....

Answer 6

Noooooooo, Absinthe is most certainly illegal in the U.S.

But I'm sure there are ways to buy it.
Black Market
Mafia
That kind of stuff.

Plus it's a hallucinogenic drink, derived from a root/plant dealie. Drink too much and you die.. Like you barely have to drink any to get the "buzz" or whatever you prefer to call it.

Answer 7

It became legal this year for the first time in decades,but there is no wholesale importer all bottles have to be brought in individually. A few bars in NYC and LV mostly have been selling it

Answer 8

You can't buy absinthe in the US,it's illegal . Unless somebody makes it ,you wont be able to find it in any store,it's illegal because it's got mind tripping qualitites to it and it's so strong.

Answer 9

It's illegal in the States.
You can purchase it in Canada.

Answer 10

It is Prohibited in the U.S. as far as I know


Edit:added a link below